“We believe that we are living in an external reality, but in truth all we ever see is inside of our heads. Sure, we can perceive all the objects around us, but each one of us will have a completely different point of vuew. No two people see things the exact same way. ” – Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
Life can certainly be full of ups and downs. There are no guarantees, no certainties that things will go the way we want. The real question is, how do we deal with it all? Are we overcome with fear when things don’t go our way? Do we become overzealous when the events in our lives seem to go in our favor? Living life on life’s terms isn’t always easy.
We can, in our minds, think we know how things should best work out. This may or may not be what actually pans out. It’s easy to accept when things go our way. But when they turn out differently than we might have wanted, it can cause our level of acceptance to be disturbed.
I have found that it’s best that I don’t always know what’s best for myself or for others. Not that there’s anything wrong with having the forethought to move in a certain direction, but there’s also the realization that life might have other plans.
It’s not so much what needs to be changed in the world as in me and my perspective and attitude. I must accept those things in life I cannot change, change what I can.
To everything there is a season.
David Lee
I used Shazam to discover Rather Be by Jasmine Thompson. https://www.shazam.com/track/111356202/rather-be
“And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation — some fact of my life– unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake. Unless I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate no so much what needs to be changed in the world as in me and my attitudes.”
Big Book, page 417
Clink link below for access to complete gallery of this week’s pictures….
From April 11th’s “Streams in the Desert” devotional
Our Lord is constantly taking us into the dark, that He may tell us things, into the dark of the shadowed home, where bereavement has drawn the blinds; into the dark of the lonely, desolate life, where some infirmity closes us in from the light and stir of life; into the dark of some crushing sorrow and disappointment.
Then He tells us His secrets, great and wonderful, eternal and infinite; He causes the eye which has become dazzled by the glare of the earth to behold the heavenly constellations; and the ear to detect the undertones of His voice, which is often drowned amid the tumult of earth’s strident cries.
We are not meant to always linger in the dark, or stay in the closet; presently we shall be summoned to take our place in the rush and storm of life; and the that moment comes, we are to speak and proclaim what we have learned.
But God has a purpose in it all. He has withdrawn His child to the higher altitudes of fellowship, that he may hear God speaking face to face, and bear the message to his fellows at the mountain foot.
Streams in the Desert
Meditation for the Day
Our need is God’s opportunity. First we must recognize our need. Often this means helplessness before some weakness or sickness and an admission of our need for help. Next comes faith in the power of God’s spirit, available to us to meet that need. Before any need can be met, our faith must find expression. That expression of faith is all God needs to manifest His power in our lives. Faith is the key that unlocks the storehouse of God’s resources.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may first admit my needs. I pray that then I may have faith that God will meet those needs, in the way, which is best for me.
Letting Go of Fear
Picture yourself swimming floating – peacefully down a gentle stream. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow.
Suddenly, you become conscious of your situation. Frightened, overwhelmed with “what if’s?” your body tenses. You begin to thrash around, frantically looking for something to grab on to.
You panic so hard you start to go under. Then you remember – you’re working too hard at this. You don’t need to panic. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow. You won’t drown.
Panic is our great enemy.
We don’t need to become desperate. If overwhelming problems appear in our life, we need to stop struggling. We can tread water for a bit, until our equilibrium returns. Then we can go back to floating peacefully down the gentle stream. It is our stream. It is a safe stream. Our course has been charted. All is well.
Today, I will relax, breathe, and go with the flow.
David Lee 